Cooking appliance with removable cooking plate by locking and unlocking device

ABSTRACT

A cooking appliance comprising a shell ( 4 ) and a control knob ( 7 ) mobile relative to the shell ( 4 ) which comprises a heating element and bears a removable hot plate fixed on the heating element by at least one locking member ( 1 ) and releasable by moving the member ( 1 ). The appliance comprises a lever ( 8 ) forming a crank-shaft assembly pivoting about a pin ( 12 ) whereby it is fixed to the shell ( 4 ); one part of the lever ( 20 ) co-operates with the knob ( 7 ) and another part ( 19 ), drives the locking member ( 1 ) when the knob is stressed and acts on the lever ( 8 ).

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is the 35 USC 371 national stage of international applicationPCT/FR01/02793 filed Sep. 7, 2001, which designated the United States ofAmerica.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cooking appliances having cookingplates or “hot plates” that are made removable by securing and releasingdevices.

The technical sector of the invention is the field of “small householdelectrical appliances”.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention essentially applies to appliances of the grill,waffle-iron, or sandwich-toaster type. Such an appliance comprises twohot plates hinged together to define between them a space for receivingfood to be cooked, each hot plate being heated by a respective electricheater element in contact with the plate.

Making such hot plates removable opens up possibilities for makingmulti-purpose appliances that can be transformed into sandwich toasters,waffle irons, or grills merely by changing the hot plates. For thatpurpose, the hot plates are held stationary inside shells by securingmeans that can be moved to release said plates and to interchange them.However, manipulating such means is impractical and inconvenient, andalso involves the risk that the user might suffer burns. To mitigatethat drawback, certain appliances are equipped with catch systems makingthem easier to use, but such systems are generally costly to make.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to mitigate the above-mentioneddrawbacks by making it more practical to change the plates, with as fewparts as possible, making it possible to reduce the manufacturing andassembly costs, while reducing the danger of burns.

This object is achieved with a cooking appliance comprising at least oneshell, and at least one control button mounted to move relative to theshell, the shell incorporating a heater element and carrying a removablehot plate which is fixed to said heater element via at least onesecuring means, and which is releasable by moving said means. In theinvention, the appliance further comprises at least one lever forming acrank-shaft assembly mounted to turn about an axis via which it is fixedto the shell, one portion of the lever co-operating with the controlbutton and another portion driving the securing means when the controlbutton is pushed and acts on the lever. The lever has a central bodydisposed along said axis, turning about said axis, and situated betweenthe portions co-operating with the control button at one end, anddriving the securing means constituted by a catch mounted to tilt aboutsaid axis at the other end.

In a preferred embodiment, the lever is a metal wire bent to constitutethe portions co-operating with the control button at one end, anddriving the catch at the other end, the two portions, together with theportion of the metal wire that interconnects them and that constitutesthe central body of the lever, forming a crank-shaft assembly.

The result is a novel cooking appliance having hot plates that are maderemovable by a hot plate securing/releasing device which achieves theabove-mentioned object by means of a sub-assembly made up of only threeparts which correspond to a control button, a lever or a transmission,and a securing means for each plate, each securing means operating bymeans of a locking catch.

The control button, which is of ergonomic shape, is placed on theappliance so as to be practical to use, visible, and quite a long wayaway from the hot plates so as to avoid burns. It thus makes it possibleto release the plates and to interchange them depending on the food thatis to be prepared. The resulting cooking appliance is a multi-purposeappliance that can, for example, perform the functions of grills, waffleirons, sandwich toasters, etc.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other advantages of the present invention could be mentioned, but theadvantages mentioned are sufficient to prove the novelty and utility ofit. The following description and the accompanying drawings give anembodiment of the invention but are in no way limiting. Otherembodiments are possible within the ambit and scope of the presentinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a section view of a cooking appliance equipped with a deviceof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a shell of the applianceshown in FIG. 1, without the corresponding hot plate and without theaccessories other than the securing/releasing device of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a section view on the plane III-III′ of FIG. 2, showing thedevice in the unlocking/releasing position; and

FIG. 4 is the same section view as the view in FIG. 3, with the devicebeing in the securing/locking position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the cooking appliance is amulti-purpose appliance of the toasted-sandwich/waffle/grill type,constituted by two shells 4 ₁, 4 ₂, each of which incorporates a heaterelement 3 ₁, 3 ₂, and also carries a removable hot plate 2 ₁, 2 ₂. Saidshells 4 are hinged together about a hinge axis 5 so that said hotplates 2 carried by said shells define a space 21 between them that issuitable for receiving any food to be cooked.

For the balance of the description, reference numerals having subscriptsidentify elements of a respective shell. The subscript 1 refers to anelement of the top shell 4 ₁, and the subscript 2 refers to an elementof the bottom shell 4 ₂.

The top shell 4 ₁ can be raised to access said space 21 by acting on thehandle 6 to cause said shell 4 ₁ to pivot about the hinge axis 5.Reflectors 11 ₁, 11 ₂ are disposed between the heater elements 3 ₁, 3 ₂and the inside surfaces of the shells 4 ₁, 4 ₂, so as to reflect theheat and concentrate it on the space 21.

The appliance of the invention is provided with at least one controlbutton 7 mounted to move relative to each shell 4 and with at least onelever 8, one portion of which co-operates with said button 7 and anotherportion 19 of which drives securing means 1 for the hot plate 2 whensaid button is pushed to act on said lever 8.

The sub-assemblies of the devices for securing/releasing orlocking/unlocking the hot plates 2, although not labeled for the sake ofclarity, are preferably identical in the bottom shell 4 ₂ and in the topshell 4 ₁.

Said control buttons 7 are mounted to move in translation in recesses 16provided in respective ones of the shells 4 and allowing the button tomove linearly and perpendicularly firstly to the axis of rotation 12defined below, and secondly to the outside surface of the shell 4.

Preferably, said buttons are clipped into the front of the appliance inone of the corners situated in the vicinity of the opening in saidappliance, such that, when the appliance is closed, said buttons are nolonger accessible, and such that, when the appliance is open, saidbuttons are disposed at some distance from the hot plates 2 that theymake it possible to release so that the user cannot touch thecorresponding plate 2 when the user actuates one of said buttons 7.

Under each button 7, a lever 8 is mounted whose portion 20 comes intoabutment against it. Each button 7 is guided by two ribs 17 onrespective opposite sides.

The means for securing each hot plate 2 are constituted by a catch 1that tilts about an axis 12, and said lever 8 has a central body 18disposed along said axis 12, turning about said axis, and situatedbetween the portions 20, 19 co-operating with said button 7 at one endand driving the catch 1 at the other end.

Said lever or transmission 8 is preferably a metal wire that is bent toform arms directed laterally relative to the rectilinear central body18, and to constitute said portions 20, 19. Together with the portion ofthe metal wire that interconnects them and that constitutes the centralportion 18, said two portions 20, 19 form a crank shaft assembly, eachbent portion transmitting via the central body 18 to the other portionany turning moment that it receives by means of any force applied to thearm that constitutes it. The longer the arm, the further away from thebody 18 forming the axis of rotation the point at which the force isapplied lies, the larger the turning moment, and the easier the turningmovement.

Each transmission or lever 8 is laid and clipped in bearings 10integrated into the shell 4 via its central body 18 forming an axis ofrotation. Each catch 1 is itself clipped to the bent portion 19 of saidlever 8 which is associated with it.

As shown in the accompanying figures, said two portions 20, 19 of eachlever 8 are the ends of said lever, but in another embodiment, theportion 19, for example, could be bent differently and the body 18 ofthe lever 8 could continue beyond said portion 19, and could be guidedto turn about its own axis, i.e. about the axis 12, by another bearingsituated on the other side of the catch 1 from the side on which theportion 20 is situated.

The appliance of the invention also includes at least one return spring9 for each securing means 1, the spring returning the securing means tothe locking position in which the corresponding plate 2 is locked solong as the corresponding control button 7 is not pushed, therebyholding the sub-assembly constituting the hot plate securing/releasingdevice of the invention in position and under stress.

The cooking appliance shown in the accompanying figures further includesa spring 15 under the bottom hot plate 2 ₂ and on the same side as theheater element 3 ₂, which spring raises said hot plate 2 ₂ relative tothe shell 4 ₂ when the securing means 1 ₂ are disengaged therefrom.

The spring 15 may be part of a regulation system made up of a probe 13,of a thermostat 14, and of said spring 15 which presses the probe 13against the hot plate 2 when said hot plate is locked.

In order to unlock each of the hot plates 2, it is necessary to press onthe respective control button 7. By means of the transmission or lever 8which then turns about the axis 12, each catch 1 retracts by tiltingabout its own axis to allow the corresponding hot plate 2 to pass, asshown in FIG. 3. The bottom plate 2 ₂ rises under pressure from theprobe 13 of the thermostat, and the top plate 21 comes free under itsown weight.

In order to lock said cooking plates 2 again after they have beeninterchanged and/or cleaned, the lip 22 that constitutes the rim of eachplate 2 or that may be a lug and that is situated opposite from the lip23 that comes into abutment against a respective one of the catches 1 isslid into any compatible recess in the corresponding shell 4. The lip 23of the plate 2 in question then abutting against the catch 1 causes saidcatch to retract by tilting back about the axis 12 in order to allowsaid plate to pass, as shown in FIG. 3. Once the plate 2 is in position,the catch 1, under drive from the return spring 9, returns to itsinitial position and locks the plate 2.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cooking appliance comprising: at least oneshell and at least one control button mounted to move relative to theshell; the shell incorporating a heater element and carrying a removablehot plate; at least one securing means for securing the hot plate to theheater element; said hot plate being releasable by moving said securingmeans; at least one lever mounted to turn about an axis; said leverhaving one portion co-operating with the control button, and anotherportion driving the securing means when the control button is pushed andacts on the lever.
 2. The cooking appliance according to claim 1,wherein the lever has a central body disposed along the axis, turningabout said axis, and situated,between the portions co-operating with thecontrol button at one end, and driving the securing means constituted bya catch mounted to tilt about the axis at the other end.
 3. The cookingappliance according to claim 2, wherein the lever is a metal wire bentto constitute the portions co-operating with the control button at oneend, and driving the catch at the other end; the two portions, togetherwith the portion of the metal wire that interconnects them andconstitutes the central body of the lever, forming a crank-shaftassembly.
 4. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein thecontrol button is mounted to move in translation in a recess provided inthe shell and perpendicular to the outside surface of said shell.
 5. Thecooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the two portions of thelever are ends of said lever.
 6. The cooking appliance according toclaim 1, wherein said appliance has two shells hinged together about anaxis such that the removable hot plates carried by the shells define aspace between them that is suitable for receiving food to be cooked. 7.The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the control buttonis disposed at some distance from the hot plate which makes it possibleto release, so that a user cannot touch the plate when said useractuates the control button.
 8. The cooking appliance according to claim1, wherein under the hot plate and on the same side as the heaterelement, said appliance further comprises a spring which raises the hotplate relative to the shell when the securing means are disengagedtherefrom.
 9. The cooking appliance according to claim 8, furthercomprising a regulation system including a probe, a thermostat and saidspring which presses the probe against the hot plate.
 10. The cookingappliance according to claim 1, further comprising at least one returnspring for returning the securing means to a locking position in whichthe hot plate is locked, so long as the control button is not pushed.